Marketing is neither an

art nor science. Its aphilosophy. Unlessyou have a soft side,you cannot be a good

marketer

It’s important tounderstand the

mindset of end usersand their changingbehaviour in this ageof technology to keepbusinesses growing,stated experts of themarketing fraternity atthe 3rd AlMA WorldMar keting Congress

DIPTI SRI VASTAVA

n industry begins with the cus-tomer and his or her needs,not with a patent, a raw mate-ial, or a selling skill, wrote

Theodre Levitt, an American economistand professor at Harvard BusinessSchool. His term Marketing Myopia is

said to have marked the beginning of amovement. He espoused the idea thatthe vision of most organisations is tooconstricted by a narrow understandingof what business they are in and sug-gested that businesses will do better inthe end if they concentrate on meetingcustomers’ needs rather than on sellingproducts.

The theme of the All India Manage-ment Association (AlMA) Congressrevisited the concept in the currentmarket scenario. The two-day eventdelved on issues and challenges thatmarketers face due of changes in con-sumer behaviour and other factors.

Inaugurating the event, Srinivasan KSwamy, Conference Chairman andCMD 0fRKSwamy BBDO Pvt Ltd.,elaborated Levitt’s concept as well astouched upon all the topics to be dis-cussed during the day. ‘The consumertoday wants more for less and quickly,which is making product lifecycle pro-gressively shorter. Also, there is a lot ofmedia today, but not enough con-sumer engagement,” he said.

flexible.”Gyan Gupta, CEO, Dainik Bhaskar, I

Media Corp. Ltd., in a very interactivemanner put forth his point that it’s no

longer about the medium, but the cus-tomer. The needs are the same, onlythe medium has changed.

Defining the changing behaviour ofthe consumer, Rajiv jiv Vastupal, Immedi-ate Past President, AlMA, and CMD,Rajiv Petrochemicals Pvt. Ltd., said, “Weare constantly evolving as a communityand we cannot predict human behav-iour. Organisations now cannot use oldapproaches for marketing their productanymore.” There were also discussionson the use of internet to gain competi-tive advantage. Sanjeev Bikhchandani,Founder and Vice-Chairman,Naukn.com, chaired the session on the

topic and Neeraj Gupta, Director, Sales

and Operations, Google India, and Per-forming Priest and Author, Sarma Sas-trigal, spoke on the subject.

While speaking at a session chairedby G Krishnan, Former CEO and ED, TV

Today, Suhel Seth, Managing Partner,Counselage India, and Bhaskar Sharma,Director and GM, Red Bull India, spoke

on the rising importance of earnedmedia.

All in all, the speakers gave an insightinto their marketing strategy to keepthe consumers engaged because it was

derived that ultimately the power is inthe hands of the customer.

D Shivakumar, President A/MA & Sr. Vice President IMEA, No/do Ltd., and Srinivasan KSwamy, Conference Chairman & Chairman and MD, R KSWAMYBBDO Pvt Ltd., presenting theA!Mi4-RKSwamyHighPerformance BrandAward2O!2 to Rajesh Dahiya, National Head, Sales & Marketing, Apollo Tyres, atA!MA’s3rd World Marketing Congress. (Extreme left) Rekha Sethi Director General, A/MA, and RameshJude Thomas, President& CKO, Equitor Consulting (extreme right)

The keynote speaker of the inauguralsession was D Shivakumar, President,AlMA, and Senior Vice-President, IMEA,Nokia Ltd. He encapsulated 10 myopicthoughts that companies should comeout of, if they want to sustain and grow.“Marketing has changed fundamental-ly. It’s an era of brand experience andnot of product branding. Also, todayspace is no longer only the physicallocation of business, but any spacewhere consumers can access it,” hesaid elaborating his point.

On the first day of the conference,the AIMA-RK Swamy High Perfor-mance Brand Award was also present-ed. This year the award was presentedto Apollo Tyres, while Zee and NIh

bagged the 1st and 2nd runner-uppositions, respectively.

Talking about the award, RameshJude Thomas, President and CKO ofEquitor Consulting, said, ‘The awardwas designed by Equitor Consulting to �recognize brands that have generated �sustained business performance fortheir owners and not just won creative E

awards or public recognition.”In the end, the vote of thanks was

given by Rekha Sethi, DG, AlMA.During the sessions that followed,

marketing industry experts expressedtheir views on new-age consumers andthe challenges companies face in grab-bing their attention. MV Natarajan,India and India sub-continent Head,Mars Chocolate, Mars India Pvt. Ltd.,shared with the audience that the con-

sumption trends in the country areinfluenced by demand for convenience.

The role of digital media was also dis-cussed extensively in playing a key rolein engaging consumers. ‘This is thedawn of the connected consumer andyou have to start dreaming in digital,’asserted Mick Gordon, CEO, lpsos.

The term monopolistic competition

was explained by Anisha Motwani,Director and CMO, Max Insurance Co

Ltd., while chairing a session. ArunabhDas Sharma, President, BCCL, said thatproducts come and go, but it is thebrand that continues to be remem-bered. Explaining it further, he said, “Inorder to succeed, you need to befriendtechnology, evolve the brand and be

QUOTE UN QUOTE

(L-R) M VNatarajan, India and India sub-continent Head-Mars Chocolates, Mars India Private Limited (L-R) GKrishnan, Former Executive Director & CEO, TVrodayNetworkLtd;SuhelSeth,Managing

AnishaMotwoni Director and Chief Marketing Officer, MoxLife/nsurance, and Mick Gordon, CEO, Ipsos Partner, Counselage India, and Bhaskar Sharma, Director and Genera/Manager, Red Bull India

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SRINIVASAN K SWAMYConference Chairman and CMD, R K Swamy

BBDO Pvt. Ltd.

��������� Massive changes are

taking place in the digitalworld. Internet haschanged everything.Mobile is waiting tounleash its full potential

D SHIVAKUMARPresident, AlMA, and Senior Vice-President,IMEA. Nokia Ltd.

People have moved J I E ‘I\from sachet mindset

-

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to sensory mindset. -

The fragmentation of

the medium isdramatic

lf

SANJEEV BHIKCHANDANI

Founder and Vice-Chairman,Naukri.corn

Social media is

/ / everywhere. It’s the

backbone of theinternet industry thatgoes a long way in

influencing business

RAJIV VASTU PAL

Immediate Past President, AlMA, and CMD,Rajiv Petrochemicals Pvt. Ltd.

Organizations nowcannot use old

approaches for •

marketing their -

product anymore

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ROLAND LANDERSHead, Corporate Brand, Zee EntertainmentEnterprises Limited

������� j We are delighted to be

‘ chosen for the honour.On behalf of Zee, I want

- ���, to extend my gratitude

� to AlMAforthefelicitation

R MUKUNDANManaging Director, Tata Chemicals Ltd.

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SHEFALIKA SAXENA

CMO, Microsoft India

Communication hasmorphed; it hasbecome a

boundaryless

conversation. Beingsocial is the newcurrency

People have moved

from sachet mindsetto sensory mindset.The fragmentation of

the medium isdramatic

ASHOK YEN KATRAMANI

CEO,ABP News

Traditional ways ofmedia are losingrelevance. In evolved

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markets like the US,

A A new media is the

biggest trend

KKIIRAN BEDIIndian Social Activist

You get a healthier,knowledgable and

wealthier consumer -

when corporatespartner with NGOs

CLIFFORD PATRAO

Director and Leader, Strategy &Transformation - Global Business Services,India! South Asia, IBM India Pvt. Ltd.

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(L-R) Yasuharu SasakL Executive Creative Director, Denisu Networlç New York; Srinivasan K Swaniy, ConferenceChairman & Chairman & Managing Director, R KSWAMYBBDO Pvt Ltd. and Koichiro Shima, Co-CEO, CreativeDirector and Editor, Hakuhodo Kettle, Tokyoyo

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The session on Analytics was chaired byAAjay Kelkar, Chief Operating Officer, HansaCequity. Clifford Patrao, Director and Leader,Strategy & Transformation, Global BusinessServices, India/South Asia, IBM India, turnedthe spotlight on Analytics and its role inenriching the consumer experience. We haveentered the age of the empowered customerwho has graduated from stand-alone mediaplatforms to “always-on” devices and thisposes both a wide range of opportunities andchallenges for companies, he contended andalso spoke about the new frontiers incustomer relationship management strategy.

The next session, chaired by Ramesh JudeThomas, President and CKO, EquitorConsulting, belonged to Ashok Venkatramani,CEO, ABP News, and Shefalika Saxena, CMO,Microsoft India, who made presentations onthe relevance of traditional media vis-à-visnew media.

The high-octane address by social activistKiran Bedi, with Editorial and KnowledgeAAdvisor Pranjal Sharma as the chairperson,turned out to be the highlight of the day. She

reiterated the need for corporate socialresponsibility (CSR) and hoped that the newCompanies Bill would bring in the much-needed focus on corporate governance andCSR initiatives as it would make it mandatoryfor companies to spend 2 percent of theirprofits on social welfare. “If you have toenhance the pace of growth, it has to beinclusive,” she said.

Sachin Kapur, Chief Marketing Officer,Groupon India, focussed on the fact that 40

percent of the planet would be online by2015. This affinity for the web needs to beharnessed, he asserted.

Lastly, Koichiro Shima of Hakuhodo Kettle,Tokyo, and Yasuharu Sasaki, ExecuthieCreative Director, Dentsu Network, New York,presented a five-point prescription to createeffective digital campaigns. Srinivasan K.

Swamy, Conference Chairman and Chairmanand MD,RKSwamyBBDO Pvt. Ltd.,felicitated Roland Landers, Head-CorporateBrand, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited,on the company having completed 20 years

in the entertainment industry.

KIRAN BEDIIndian Social Activist

You get a healthier,knowledgable and

wealthier consumerwhen corporatespartner with NGOsI

IAnalytics is forenriching customerexperience and

customers are

in analytics

AI� A A 3d WORLD MARKETING CONGRESSALL INDIA MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION • /Marketing Myopia 2.0

THE ECONOMIC TIMES, WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY2O, 2013 ADVERTORIAL & PROMOTIONAL FEATURE

The power of connecte d consumer

‘Marketing Myopia 2.0’

Bui lding brands digitall yyThe di gita l age is trul y here. With the explosion in Internet connectivity throug hhmobile devices like smartphones and tablets, millions of consumers areincreasingly making decisions online. Businesses that don’t wake up to this, run

the risk of becoming irrelevant sooner than later

SHAI UA KATYAL VERMA

I this digital age, there is a vital need torevisit marketing strategies and engagewith the consumer. This was, in essence,the crux of the deliberations on the

second and final day of the All IndiaManagement Association (AlMA) 3rd WorldMarketing Congress. The speakers spoke atlength about the challenges that lie ahead forthe marketers, assessing the psychographicsof the B0P (bottom of the pyramid)consumers, importance of big data andanalytics, future relevance of the traditionalmedia, the role of NGOs in pushing forwardthe social agenda and the impediments foradvertising agencies in a constantly-evolving,dynamic business environment

In the opening session, chaired by AnnuragBatra, Chairman and Editor-in-Chief,exchange4media group, R. Mukundan,Managing Director, Tata Chemicals Ltd.,spoke about the Gandhian philosophy andhow it can be amalgamated with marketingstrategies to meet the challenge of balancinginnovation, profitability and affordability�

Pradeep Kashyap, Founder and CEO, MART,drew a distinction between B0P and ruralconsumers. He called attention to the fact thatthe rural economy is a one trillion dollareconomy and the future belongs tocompanies that go rural. Innovation, too, hasto be a bottom-up co-creation process, heinsisted. Sanjay Kumar Panigrahi, ChiefExecutive Officer, Sahaj e-Village Limited, on

the other hand, busted some common ruralmarket myths. Rural consumer is no longerthe rural customer we knew 20 years ago, hepointed out. He drew attention to the fact thatthere is a lot of money coming into the ruralsector through government funding�livelihood income and rural remittances thatthe corporates may not know of. The baggagewe carry from urban India, often comes in theway of our perception of rural India, wherethe internet is revolutionizing lifestylepatterns, he argued.